End of October

Okay, it is really hot. We though 100F was hot, this whole past week was 120F. I am grateful that our bodies have somewhat adjusted to this heat. Thursday evening we had our first rains. They lasted about an hour, this is called the mango rain. So called, because within two weeks the rain will have ripened all mangoes and they will all fall off the trees. It is the warning before the real rains come. There is normally a two to three week gap between. Now the farmers will all make sure their fields are ready for planting. The school term ends next week so all students can help their parents work in the fields. I think they have a two month break.

We have a cell phone tower that now marks the turn off to our house from the highway! We can see it from our yard, it makes communication so very nice! No more holding the cell phone in the right exact spot tilted at just the right angle! Now even in our house we have good coverage! We are happy! 



We visited Amos who is our site mate’s (Jen) counterpart. He had his first child three months ago, so we went to see him. He is adorable. Sleeps a lot, but with it so hot, I would too if I could! Custom is to give a gift for the baby or parents so we gave a jar of jam and brightly colored fabric measuring a meter and a half square.




Last Christmas our Agogo (Grandparents) gave us a male chicken. One of the Nkook boys stole it and sold it off. Then we were told the Agogo gave us a hen. We went away awhile and asked for them to hold it till we returned. It laid eggs so they kept it so it could raise its young. Tuesday they came over with 4 chickens, 2 male 2female. The babies of the hen. They are almost full grown. We gave one male to our neighbor to prepare for lunch, the rest we kept in the kitchen till nightfall when we snuck them in the hen house. This makes for easy integration.



Mphostso was about to burst when we left for the city. We hope she has her pup(s) soon. Mwamboli is doing very well. She is so very healthy. We looked back at the photos from when we got her, she has improved 100 percent!

It is hot

We are now in the hottest part of the year, 100F before 9 and 10am. We are having to do things to keep cool like hanging wet clothes in the windows, but when the wind dies so does any hope of coolness. We just don’t do much during the hottest part of the day.



We read and write and if we have to go out we try to jump from shade spot to shade spot. Ending under a tree...



Mangoes are comin! Every time the wind blows down comes mangoes. The mangoes are so sweet this year a Malawian who tasted one asked if we had dipped them in sugar. No, but the reason they are confused is because the mangoe rains that sweeten and ripen the mangoes has not come yet? Our tree does not care, its ready!



Bryan has been peeling them and slicing them for drying. I have been avoiding them until I can not resist anymore! They smell soooo good, and the taste, a fresh mango is irresistible! But then I break out in my poison ivy rash… and restrain myself. Why did it have to be Mangoes? I could take allergies to Papias, but mangoes?! You know I thought you had to not like something to become allergic to something, but I was proven wrong.



Our puppy is pregnant… so I decided we can’t call her puppy any more. Now I call her lil mama. We think she will have her pups the last week of October. We are very thankful that our big girl is not pregnant, I don’t think we could feed her the amount of food she would need… No worries for homes for the pups, because a new group of Peace Corps Volunteers swear in when they will be 6 months old so we thought about just bringing them to the city to give to those new volunteers.



We are in town to volunteer at a fundraising dinner for the Summer Camp next month. Today we cook serve and cleanup after about 50 people… We will stay Sunday so we can attend a church we found here in the city… So that’s whats up with us.

Lots of Crocs!

We were in town for a long time, I got put on medical hold for most of it. I was having pain in my lower left abdomen. The docs ruled out a bunch of stuff, but never really identified the cause, so I am still feeling pain every once in awhile but not as bad as originally.

While we were in town we visited the Nature Sactuary. Actually it was like walking into an open zoo (no cages). We saw all kinds of birds and even some crocodiles. The second picture is of weavers nests in a tree over the river.





We also got to do a lot of baking and cooking, we made strawberry/apple pie!



So October first came around… I officially became 26 and we had friends visit! Lyndsey (Peace Corps Zambia), Mark (studying abroad in South Africa) and Mark’s room mate Hans. We took them to Sharpevale to see our home and then to Senga Bay, Lake Malawi. Sadly I do not have photos of people, actually the only time we had the camera was at the croc farm! So here are some crocs!




We visited the Croc farm in Senga Bay were they breed crocs for there skins. We got to watch them feed the big ones. They said the big ones eat 15 -20 chickens each! Good thing they only feed once a week!

Once I get pictures from our friends I will post more! Our friends headed out yesterday, leaving us in Lilongwe again. Tomorrow we shall head back to Sharpevale...